MONTPELIER — The city has chosen Jessie C. Baker to fill the vacant assistant city manager position.

She will replace longtime Assistant City Manager Beverlee Pembroke Hill, who retired in June and assumed a part-time position as tax collector. Baker will begin her duties April 1, said City Manager William Fraser on Friday.

Baker has served as the performance improvement manager for the state Health Department for the past two years. She previously worked for Somerville, Mass., for five years in a variety of roles that mirror the responsibilities of the assistant city manager position, Fraser said in a news release.

Baker, 35, holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and psychology from Columbia University and a master’s in social policy and planning from Tufts University. She is a graduate of Harwood Union High School and a native of Waterbury Center. She lives in Burlington and plans to move to Montpelier, according to the news release.

“Jessie brings a fresh perspective and considerable professional expertise to the city. Her contributions in Somerville helped draw national attention for the city’s data-driven management and decision-making approach,” Fraser said in the news release. “Her background in performance measures, project management and human resources fills some big voids in our organization.”

In Somerville, Mass., she held jobs as personnel director, aide to the mayor and senior analyst, responsible for assisting the mayor in the supervision of city departments through regular monitoring of departmental data and implementation of short- and long-term improvement plans.

Previously Baker spent six years working on policy and data-based performance measurement in the area of children’s and family services.

She was selected from 243 applicants from 41 states and two countries, according to the city.

The selection process included an advisory committee consisting of former City Council members, community representatives, department heads and city staff.